2012 Japanese GP (Suzuka) - Oct 7th

Haha, I’m calling it now: an easy win for Sebastian Vettel tomorrow... Mark Webber will probably take second.
AS long as there are no retirements.
Jenson Button mentioned that tire degradation is becoming a real headache because of the fresh asphalt on certain sections of the track, which might give the team some trouble down the road...
It seems like this year, whoever grabs pole position usually cruises to the win.

http://twitpic.com/b1iyea
Mad respect to the Americans here.🙏
Seriously, the stands are still packed.😲

Who knows, maybe they're all just waiting on the qualifying results.🤣

Funny enough, they spent about three hours just debating whether Vettel might get a penalty.🙂
http://www1.skysports.com/formula1/video/24462/8142588
Ted says it was basically just a playground fight between Ferrari and Red Bull...

Glad I actually had some work to do today. Otherwise, I probably would've lost my mind over this too.🤣

Raymond Anderson4 said:He isn't funny to me anymore...
There’s an entire army over at ESPN just bowing down to whatever he says or does.

And he’s gotten so cranky lately—especially during interviews. I mean, talk like a normal human being, okay? It's fine if he doesn't want to do interviews, but he doesn't have to make it so incredibly obvious, like it's written on his forehead.

Same thing now—acting like he couldn't care less that everyone else had to slow down through the turn because he went off track... I'm not saying he needs to burst into tears about it, but maybe a quick "my bad, didn't mean to, sorry to the guys for the mess" wouldn't hurt.
I think he should stop constantly trying to push the narrative that he just doesn't give a damn about anyone else...

The drivers and the crews (McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and their whole entourage) are probably aware—and they should be—that waiting until the absolute last second to hunt for pole is a massive risk. Once something unpredictable happens, it's already too late.
The Fourth Quarter lasts ten minutes, not just the final two.🙂
Presumably...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NCGgD0KpfA
Seems a bit too angry at himself to me.

http://www1.skysports.com/formula1/video/24462/8142588 😕
Pretty weird stuff... looks like Mass gave him a garbage set of tires.🤷

It’s actually wild that his time on the old rubber was 0.100 faster than on the new ones😕 and he missed out on The Fourth Quarter by a mere 0.022.😳

Though based on what he said, it sounds like he's stuck with just one pair of fresh yellows left.🤔

stormybadger8 said:......

Honestly, I am still struggling to wrap my head around how everyone on this forum manages to endure the intellectual tyranny of a clown like you. To be perfectly clear, I have never once signaled any interest in your mindless ramblings, nor do I have any intention of wasting my breath responding to them.

Just to give you a brief rundown of the absolute nonsense we're dealing with here:

stormybadger8 said:I honestly can't help but feel a sense of frustration when I consider how Fernando Alonso might end up starting in second or third position at the end of this. It feels like we are constantly circling the same outcome, and frankly, it’s a bit disheartening to watch.🙂
I find myself anticipating that the FIA will finally step up and address these ongoing issues. It feels as though we have been circling the same controversies for far too long without any meaningful intervention from the governing body. In my experience, when oversight is lacking, the integrity of the sport begins to suffer, much like how I felt back when I was working in regulatory compliance in Chicago—you just know that if someone isn't watching the books, things are bound to get messy. I truly hope they realize that the eyes of the entire American racing community are on them right now.🙄 It seems like they’re finally ready to start handing out penalties left and right...
I find myself contemplating the potential outcomes for our drivers this weekend, and I can't help but feel a sense of cautious optimism. If everything aligns perfectly on the track, we might see Jenson Button secure a fifth-place finish, and perhaps Romain Grosjean could manage the same. There is even a glimmer of hope that Kamui Kobayashi or Sergio Perez might climb their way into that fifth spot, and if we are feeling particularly bold, maybe even Mark Webber could pull off a top-five result.

stormybadger8 said:I can't help but feel that Romain Grosjean’s penalty was almost entirely a direct consequence of what happened with Reste, though it certainly leaves me wondering if Mark Webber might be facing similar scrutiny down the line.
I suspect that Kamui Kobayashi’s situation was almost certainly due to those yellow flags.

I honestly wouldn't be at all surprised if the officials decided to penalize every single driver who managed to set a fast lap during The Fourth Quarter, provided that, of course, they conveniently overlooked Fernando Alonso.☕
All things considered, I have come to the conclusion that the starting grid didn't seem to have much of an impact on the final qualifying results at all.

stormybadger8 As I was reflecting on this earlier, it occurred to me that we often overlook the subtle nuances of these discussions. It reminds me of a conversation I had once while sitting in a quiet corner of a coffee shop in Seattle, where the atmosphere felt just as heavy with unspoken implications as our current debate. When someone says, "it is said," they aren't merely repeating a statement; they are inviting us to consider the weight of collective opinion and the gravity of what has been established by those before us. There is a certain solemnity in acknowledging a shared perspective, much like how one might approach a historical record or a formal testimony in an American courtroom. We must be careful not to dismiss these assertions too quickly, as they often carry the residue of deep-seated convictions.
Oh, please, let’s be realistic here. It certainly won't matter to them what caused that slight deceleration—it's true that the margin was relatively minor, perhaps around a tenth of a second—but even then, it's still a factor that shouldn't be ignored.☕
It seems inevitable that the FIA will ultimately rule that it simply isn't enough...

stormybadger8 said:It wasn't actually within a specific sector, but rather right through that particular turn—you could see it transition from the yellow flag display straight into the green. 😉
If you catch the broadcast on Sky Sports, you can see it clearly right there on his steering wheel... even more obvious is the fact that he had already deactivated the DRS.

I suppose I should just prepare myself for the inevitable penalty. At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion.

stormybadger8 said:I have a nagging suspicion that we might be looking at a race defined by an unprecedented wave of post-qualifying penalties, which would inevitably lead to a starting grid that looks nothing like what we saw on track. It’s quite possible the final order will be drastically different from the initial results once the stewards have had their say.

stormybadger8 As I was reflecting on our recent discussions, it occurred to me that we should revisit certain points mentioned by darkmarlin16. There is a particular depth to their perspective that warrants a more thorough examination than we have previously afforded it. When one considers the nuances of the situation, it becomes clear that a superficial reading simply will not suffice if we wish to reach a meaningful conclusion.
It appears that more penalties are looming on the horizon for the drivers...🤷

What can I even say?🤷

Go ahead and hit me with that fifth consecutive ban just to make sure my heart is truly in the right place.👋

Raymond Anderson4 said:Wouldn't you agree that Fernando Alonso actually stood to gain quite a bit from Lewis Hamilton stepping aside?
It is truly disheartening to witness such a swing in momentum. He began the season holding a commanding 37-point lead, yet somehow, that cushion has evaporated entirely, leaving him with a mere 52 points of separation. I cannot help but reflect on how different the landscape might look today had he simply stayed in the race; if he hadn't been forced to retire, I am certain that advantage would have dwindled to well under 30 points by now. It is those small, agonizing moments of misfortune that ultimately reshape the entire championship narrative.
Furthermore, I find myself questioning who could say with any true certainty that Alonso would have actually finished ahead of Maldonado. When you consider the sheer lack of pace shown by the Ferrari at the tail end of the race, combined with how incredibly conservative he was driving just to protect that third-place position, even that outcome felt far from guaranteed.

And who exactly brought up the Hamilton-Alonso dynamic when discussing the championship standings?

I was merely suggesting that if we choose to view Fernando Alonso’s current championship lead as nothing more than a byproduct of fortunate circumstances and favorable race conditions, then we are logically compelled to view Sebastian Vettel’s resurgence in the standings through that exact same lens.

To be perfectly honest, the "lucky breaks" that people claim helped Fernando Alonso weren't actually any luckier than the setbacks he faced. I mean, think about it—he had to deal with Lewis Hamilton withdrawing from the race, all those instances where the stewards turned a blind eye to certain drivers, and situations where a dirty German limit could have easily resulted in a penalty during those final two races. And let’s not forget Kimi’s crash, which effectively prevented Alonso from starting right on Sebastian Vettel's gearbox. It really feels like the scales were constantly shifting.☕

Tomorrow, Saberi is going to absolutely wreck someone. 🙂
Yuki Tsunoda on the podium.

🙏

Raymond Anderson4 said:He’s not funny to me anymore...
The whole crew over at ESPN is basically a cult following anything he spits out or does.

And man, he's gotten so damn cranky lately... especially during interviews. Like, just talk like a normal person, alright? I get it, he hates doing media, but he doesn't have to make it so obvious—like it's tattooed on his forehead.

Same thing now, acting like he couldn't care less that everyone else had to slow down through the turn because he spun off... look, I'm not saying he needs to go cry about it, but maybe just say: "My bad, didn't mean to do that, sorry to the guys for the mess."
I really think he needs to stop constantly pushing this "I don't give a damn about anyone" persona.

Man, he doesn't have the luxury of being some anonymous guy on a forum. Not talking about you, just generally. Because if he actually says something different—anything else—someone's gonna claim he's full of crap because suddenly he "cares" about people. You know how it is, a total lose-lose situation. No matter what he says, if someone wants to be a jerk, they'll twist it so he looks like an absolute idiot! I don't get it, seriously.
He's always been like this, so why would he suddenly care about others just because he spun out and messed up their line? Is he the only one who's ever done that? Was it intentional? Like, did he purposely park his car in the middle of a turn or stay in the pits a few seconds too long just to screw over his teammate? Which hypocrisy is worse—actually apologizing to the guys, or having people worship his name to an absurd degree?
He's got a massive fan club just like any other driver. What's wrong with that? Aside from the fact that he says what's on his mind and you just don't like it🤷. What, you expecting an apology for that too?

Jason Clark14 said:He’s got a massive fanbase, just like any other driver. What’s the issue there? Other than him being blunt and you not liking his attitude🤷. What, are you expecting an apology for him having an opinion?

Look, Rachel, you're missing the point entirely.
It doesn't bother me at all that he has a legion of fans.
And I don't care if he speaks his mind. Honestly, who actually enjoys dealing with hypocrites?

The real issue is the core of his mindset—his actual attitude. He just couldn't care less about anyone or anything else.

Tell me something: if you were a woman, would you actually marry a guy like that!?

To me, he's just a heartless clown, and frankly, I'm perfectly happy seeing him drive for my guys (Ferrari's rivals). Is that fair enough for you?

What absolute clowns are running that Ferrari team 🙂

Now that the moment has arrived to actually upgrade the car and secure some wins, they suddenly decide to go public with these supposed issues regarding wind tunnel calibration—a problem they’ve been whining about for years now. It’s like watching a comedy where the characters just get progressively more incompetent 😕

How can a team that boasts a championship contender in their lineup, an organization that is practically an institution within Formula 1, resort to such trivial excuses? Is it truly just a minor technicality, or is it a fundamental inability to keep pace with the upgrades being brought by Red Bull and McLaren?

Even if you take the best driver on the grid, Fernando Alonso, his sheer talent isn't enough to compensate for the endless string of poor strategic decisions coming out of Ferrari.

Tomorrow, Sebastian Vettel will likely walk away with another 25 points, with Mark Webber right there to protect his position, while Alonso finds himself fighting Hamilton and Jenson Button for third place...

Just look at what happens when Adrian Newey is tasked with upgrading a car and perfecting its balance 🙏 🙏 🙏

The Constructors' Championship belongs to them. We are all just waiting for Vettel to seal it. As a supporter of Ferrari, I wouldn't feel any guilt; after all, logic dictates that whoever possesses the most dominant car should be the one hoisting the trophies...

Alonso is constantly forced to fight from seventh or eighth on the grid, having to carve out a path toward the podium through pure grit...

Honestly, it might have been better if I hadn't watched qualifying (since apparently, we are expected to work on Saturdays too), just to avoid the frustration of dealing with those incompetent Italians... 🙂

Raymond Anderson4 said:I don't find him funny anymore...
There’s basically a whole army over at ESPN just bowing down to whatever he says or does.
And honestly, he’s gotten kind of cranky lately... especially during interviews, where he tries to talk like a regular person, I guess. Look, if he doesn't want to do interviews, fine, but he doesn't have to make it so incredibly obvious, like it's written all over his face.
It's the same thing now with how he just didn't care that everyone else had to slow down through the turn because he went off track... I'm not saying he needs to go out and cry about it, but maybe just say: it was an accident, I didn't mean to, sorry to the guys for forcing them off.
I mean, I think he should probably stop constantly trying to push the idea that he just doesn't give a damn about anyone else...

Alright, I'll agree with most of what's been said here, but seriously, does he really need to apologize to the other drivers just because he went off?

Roger Wright94 said:At least they say what's actually on their mind. Honestly, who even has the patience for hypocrites?

The real issue is his mindset. It’s all about his attitude. He just doesn't give a damn about anyone else. And for everything else.

That’s just how all F1 drivers are when they hit the final stretch.☕
Do you honestly think Alonso would give a damn about anyone else in that situation? Or any other F1 driver for that matter?🤣

It’s one thing if they just bluntly said, "I don't give a damn about anyone else," but instead they go with that fake, scripted nonsense like, "Oh, I'm just so incredibly sorry." It's pathetic. 😉
They aren't exactly saints, so why should they care about anyone else? They couldn't care less.
Apologizing is one thing, but let's be real—they wouldn't care if they actually had to do it.

It’s one thing when a driver slams into someone and ruins their entire race, but honestly, at the end of the day, none of these guys can blame anyone else. It's on them. If they had just put in a decent lap when they had the chance, we wouldn't be in this mess.☕

It could’ve been the track or the rain... in the end, it rained right after qualifying anyway.😉
Should we really be losing sleep over whether Kimi's pace matters now that it's pouring? Like, does it even matter that he set a faster dry time than everyone else earlier?

stormybadger8 said:It’s one thing when a driver dives in and ruins someone else's race, but at the end of the day, none of these guys can blame anyone but themselves for failing to nail a fast lap earlier.☕

Alonso, Hamilton, Kamui Kobayashi, and Sergio Perez are all just responsible for being in Grosjean's way during the start of GP Belgium. 🙄

It's the exact same nonsense. Back then, Alonso, Hamilton, Kamui Kobayashi, and Sergio Perez had their races ruined by someone else's mistake.
Today, Alonso had his qualifying lap ruined because of someone else's mistake.

Jason Campbell70 said:Honestly, Alonso, Hamilton, Kobayashi, and Perez only have themselves to blame for being in Grosjean's way at the start of the GP Belgium. 🙄

It’s all the same crap. Back then, Alonso, Hamilton, Kobayashi, and Perez had their races ruined because of someone else's mistake.
Today, Alonso had his qualifying lap ruined because of someone else's mistake.

Those two things have zero to do with each other. ☕
It’s a completely different beast when a driver slams into someone and they crash out... versus when someone intentionally waits eight minutes to hit the track and misses their fast lap because of it...
Whether Alonso lost his qualifying lap himself or the team lost it for him (depending on who decided to wait until the end of qualifying), it has absolutely nothing to do with Kimi.
He had the same amount of time as everyone else, and he could've set the same time on track as the rest of them. ☕

What on earth does crashing into another driver have to do with someone driving off track? 🙄

Good grief, I might as well sit here rambling about how Heikki Kovalainen and Vergne are to blame because Sebastian Vettel isn't leading the championship. Because if they hadn't crashed, maybe there wouldn't have been an SC, maybe Vettel's alternator wouldn't have died...
Sure, that's great, but that alternator didn't die because of Kovalainen or Vergne—it died because of Renault, Red Bull, Marell, Vettel, or whoever... but it definitely wasn't because of Kovalainen and Vergne. ☕

Same logic would suggest it's Schumacher's or Nico Hulkenberg's fault that Hamilton couldn't dial in his car setup because they went off during practice. 😢
And if they hadn't, he would've had five extra minutes and surely would've nailed it. 👍

stormybadger8 said:Those two things have absolutely nothing to do with one another.☕
It’s a completely different situation when a driver crashes into someone else and then decides to retire because of it... or when someone else just gives up. With intention. He waits eight minutes just to hit the track, and because of that, he misses his chance at a fast lap. Why bother?
Did Alonso ruin his own qualifying lap, or did the team blow it? It all comes down to who decided to wait until the very end of the session. Either way, Kimi had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Do you think...☕Maybe you should give those "arguments" of yours a little more weight?

Lewis Hamilton clearly chose the right side on purpose. It was obviously what he felt was best for his position at that moment. Had he gone left, maybe he would have cleared La Source in the opening lap. But he didn't.
It happened. It really happened. And he lost it all because of Grosjean's mistake. Not his own. Grosjean's.

It seems Alonso waited until the very end of qualifying on purpose. He clearly felt that was his best move. Had he pushed just thirty seconds earlier, maybe he could have tackled Spoon at full racing speed. But he didn't.
It happened. It really happened. He lost it all because of Kimi Räikkönen. Not even a single second due to his own driving errors—no. It was because of that yellow flag on that section of the track. A total mess, all thanks to Kimi's mistake.

A direct comparison. No "maybe," no "if only," and none of that useless rambling.

stormybadger8 said:At the end of the day, that’s just how all F1 drivers operate—it's part of the game.
Do you honestly think Alonso would be losing sleep over anyone else in that situation? Or any other driver for that matter? :rofl

It’s just that they won’t openly say, "I couldn't care less about the others." Instead, they’ll spin some PR-friendly nonsense along the lines of, "Oh, I feel terrible about it." 😉
They aren't saints—they aren't going to sit around feeling bad for their competitors or actually caring about them...
They might offer an apology to smooth things over, sure, but don't mistake that for genuine empathy.
It's one thing when a driver crashes into someone and ruins their race, but ultimately, none of these guys can blame anyone but themselves for not setting a faster lap earlier. :coffee

The weather could have turned or rain could have come out too—after all, it did pour right after qualifying.
And should Kimi have felt guilty about the rain coming down or the fact that he set his time before everyone else? Not really.

It’s all for the marketing, just to keep the sponsors happy and satisfied.☕
If it helped the image, Alonso would probably shed a tear on cue if he had to...☕
But then you have Kimi, who bluntly tells you he doesn't care—which makes him a "heartless" man, apparently, while his fans are labeled as marketing puppets.🤣
Just typical forum chatter...🙏🙏🙏

And I see even Alonso's fans are starting to adopt his 🙂 attitude...

Alonso took the risk and it blew up in his face... just accept it for what it was.☕

nimblesurfer17 said:Alonso took the risk and blew it... just deal with it..☕

We settled that long ago. He took the risk, he failed, and we've moved on.

But isn't the real issue that it wasn't his own driving mistake? It was someone else's.

And of course... if the roles were reversed, or if it had been Alonso and Sebastian Vettel swapping places, you know TBF would be absolutely tearing into Ford International Assistance and everyone else involved.

Jason Campbell70 said:We moved past that ages ago. He took a gamble, it didn't pay off, and we've all made our peace with it.

But the real kicker is that he didn't lose out because of his own driving error—he lost out because of someone else's mistake.

And let's be honest... if the roles were reversed, or if we saw Alonso and Vettel in swapped positions, I'm sure TBF would be absolutely tearing into Ford International Assistance, throwing shade at everyone involved, and making a huge scene about it.

Based on the logic some people are trying to push here, every driver who has ever triggered an SC by causing a mishap (without actually hitting anyone—you know, like an Indian driver in Singapore) or even just pulling a yellow flag, should probably be offering deep apologies and feeling immense regret for messing up someone else's race...
but of course, they don't feel bad, nor should they—it’s just racing, after all.
and apparently, all this finger-pointing is aimed at Kimi just because he hasn't offered an apology.🤷

Looks like at this rate, Alonso's gonna run out of points for "damage control" before the season even wraps up
if tomorrow's start goes smoothly—which is a big if—Alonso will probably just be settling for 3rd through 5th again

nimblesurfer17 Asks:
Alonso took a gamble and it blew up in his face. Just deal with it.☕

It wasn't like Kimi Räikkönen spun out on purpose. He didn't just decide to mess up.
Some people got caught in the crossfire of that incident, but it wasn't intentional. It was just one of those accidents that probably could have been avoided if anyone had been paying closer attention.
Look, I can't really fault Kimi regarding his little mishap.
Didn't we already agree on this?

And that’s the other thing—I highly doubt any of those drivers would actually give a damn about that.
I’m half convinced that if we asked, maybe just a handful of people would actually have the guts to say, "Look, I messed up, and I didn't mean to screw you over."
We aren't all cut from the same cloth. And neither are the drivers.
I'm not exactly out here putting my favorites on a pedestal—honestly, they might even be worse than Kimi Räikkönen—but you just don't see anyone else on the grid quite like him. With those manners of his? The guy is a total original.

Waking up at 6:30 AM.

Yeah, sure, why not. ☕